In an era when many church leaders are grappling with burnout and the weight of responsibility, Westside Church in Bend, Oregon, offers a refreshing model of shared leadership. What began as an experiment in collaborative decision-making has grown into a sustainable approach to ministry—one that fosters trust, nurtures emerging leaders and strengthens the church’s mission. Barna talked with former and current leaders of Westside Church—Steve Mickel, Evan Earwicker and Ben Fleming—to explore their journey of shared leadership and the impact it has had on their church and personal lives.

Editor’s note: Looking toward the future and preparing new leaders are some of the qualities Barna measures among thriving churches. You can learn more about these dimensions through the State of the Church initiative, produced in partnership with Gloo, here. 

A Leadership Transition Rooted in Collaboration For Steve Mickel, the move toward shared leadership was both practical and intentional. After 10 years as the solo senior pastor of Westside Church, Steve realized that his leadership style was more collaborative than hierarchical. “I’ve never been a type-A, heroic leader,” Steve admitted. “I knew I didn’t want to carry the weight of senior leadership alone indefinitely.”

This realization led Steve to gradually share leadership with a group of emerging leaders, including Evan Earwicker and Ben Fleming. Over time, Steve began to view his role differently—not as a lifelong position of authority but as one that had a “shelf life.” He recognized the importance of decreasing his leadership presence to allow others to step into greater responsibility.

“I started wondering, what would it look like if I decreased so others could increase?” Steve shared. This intentional shift became the foundation for Westside’s transition to a co-leadership model.

div id="attachment_196375" style="width: 2484px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"Image provided by Westside Church.

A Smooth Transition, Built on Trust When Steve invited Evan and Ben to join him as co-senior pastors, they felt a deep sense of honor—but also a mix of emotions. “At first, it was exciting,” Ben said. “But when it became clear that Steve would eventually step away, it felt a bit scary. I wondered if people would leave because they, like me, wanted to follow Steve.”

However, years of shared leadership had laid a solid foundation for the transition. Both Evan and Ben had been involved in major decisions, managed staff, and experienced conflict resolution firsthand under Steve’s mentorship. “We weren’t just thrown into the deep end,” Ben explained. “Steve included us in everything, from budgeting to dealing with difficult conversations.”

By the time Steve officially stepped away to take on a new role with their denomination, the transition felt natural to both the staff and congregation. “Because we had been functioning as a leadership team for years, the shift to co-senior pastors didn’t feel abrupt,” Evan noted.

This is an excerpt from a full-length profile in this month’s State of the Church release, which can be found exclusively in Barna Access Plus.